Former and current NSW Labor frontbencher Walt Secord has stepped down from the shadow ministry after being accused of bullying.
Mr Secord, who held several shadow portfolios, said he had asked Opposition Leader Chris Minns to let me stand aside after a long reflection. It follows the release of the Broderick review into the culture of NSW Parliament, which exposed a toxic environment of bullying and sexual harassment.
Mr Secord has spent more than 30 years in the Labor Party and was a spokesman for police, counter terrorism, arts and heritage and the north coast as well as shadow treasurer.
He issued an apology last week after an ABC investigation revealed allegations against him by several unnamed people.
He said that Chris Minns and the NSW Labor PartyNSW Labor Party, along with the Broderick review, have committed to adopting the recommendations and working across party lines to make the NSW ParliamentNSW Parliament and NSW politics a workplace we can all be proud of.
I fully support the Broderick review and the changes it will hopefully lead to. My remaining time in the shadow ministry has become a distraction from these major revelations and the important work that needs to be done.
I will not be making any further comments. Mr Secord is the first NSW politician to step down after the review conducted by former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said last week that the findings were sobering, confronting and unacceptable If Parliamentarians can't lead and provide an environment where the workplace is safe, what hope do we have for other workplaces in our great state? On Friday, Mr Secord apologised for his conduct in office, acknowledging that he could be too blunt and too direct in the high-pressure environment.
If any parliamentary staff feel that my conduct in the workplace was unprofessional and caused distress or distress, I unreservedly apologise, he said.
The senior Labor figure wanted to be part of repairing the culture in state parliament and addressing my behaviour as part of a press conference that Mr Minns called for later this morning.
More to come.